Young Bryson Byrd gets a close-up look at blooms on a Jepson Prairie wildflower walk.

Young Bryson Byrd gets a close-up look at blooms on a Jepson Prairie wildflower walk.

Photo: Nicole Byrd

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A low-flying Great Egret along Barker Slough.

A low-flying Great Egret along Barker Slough.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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Downingia pulchella or Flat-faced downignia, which grows in abundance along the freshwater pools.

Downingia pulchella or Flat-faced downignia, which grows in abundance along the freshwater pools.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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Limanthes douglasii ssp douglasi, also called meadowfoam or poached-egg plant.

Limanthes douglasii ssp douglasi, also called meadowfoam or poached-egg plant.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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Ambystoma californiense, or California Tiger Salamander, held by a researcher.

Ambystoma californiense, or California Tiger Salamander, held by a researcher.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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A native rose in Jepson Prairie Preserve.

A native rose in Jepson Prairie Preserve.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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A hawk in Jepson Prairie Preserve.

A hawk in Jepson Prairie Preserve.

Photo: Doug Wirtz /

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Tritelia hyacinthina has many common names, including wild hyacinth, white brodiaea and fool's onion.

Tritelia hyacinthina has many common names, including wild hyacinth, white brodiaea and fool's onion.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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Male wild turkeys trot along a Jepson Prairie road.

Male wild turkeys trot along a Jepson Prairie road.

Photo: Doug Wirtz / Doug Wirtz

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Wildflowers and critters in California's outback

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Think of it as Northern California’s outback. Much like Australia’s billabongs, Jepson Prairie in the Sacramento Valley is dry and dormant most of the year, its impermeable soil collecting winter rainwater into pools that transform the landscape into a tapestry of spring colors. By late summer it will appear lifeless once more.

The prairie, owned by the Solano Land Trust, is one of California’s few remaining vernal pool habitats, and one of the last refuges for native plant and animal species adapted to the wet-and-dry cycle. You won’t find these wildflowers, such as meadowfoam and Downingia, in the mountains, meadows and parks popular with hikers in the spring.

The nonprofit trust leads weekend walking tours through a portion of the uniquely California landscape that is otherwise closed to the public. Docents identify the tiny plants that survive winter flooding to burst into flower in spring and stain the landscape in great swaths of yellow and blue. They’ll also take a look at rare aquatic creatures, such as fairy shrimp and California tiger salamanders, that use the temporary pools as a refuge from predatory fish.

The vernal pools in Jepson Prairie Preserve are part of a native bunchgrass prairie ecosystem that covered the entire Central Valley before European settlers arrived. Most of these grasslands were converted to agriculture as the population mushroomed, and the vernal pools were filled and developed. Because its soil was too poor for agriculture, Jepson Prairie was used for grazing, and its pools remained intact.

The Wildflowers & Aquatic Critters Walks are offered 10 a.m. to 12 noon Saturdays and Sundays through May 12. Jepson Prairie Preserve is at the Intersection of Highway 113 and Cook Lane, 10 miles south of Dixon in Solano County. No reservation is required; donations are suggested but not required. For more information, call (707) 432-0150 or visit www.solanolandtrust.org.

Remaining native grasslands with vernal pools are important not only as vestiges of California’s natural history; they also form an important part of the Pacific Flyway, supporting large numbers of migrating waterfowl, and help to moderate seasonal flooding and clean contaminants from agricultural and urban runoff. For that reason, they are regulated by federal, state and local laws.